I've been needling like crazy for the last month. I got tired of working on the right side of the picture, so I moved to the left. I know, impossible that I could move further to the left. I guess I was more comfortable over there because the far left is done from top to bottom. Now I need to fill in the blank top and bottom as I move to the right. Let's see if I like the right better than I did last month.
Lots of stitching means lots of listening. So many mysteries, all fun, but not worth remembering. Here's a few of the interesting books along the way.First is The Man From Beijing by Henning Mankell. Mankell wrote the Wallender mystery series that I've enjoyed in the past. This one also takes place in Sweden, but includes a backstory involving a Chinese family. Mankell gets pretty long-winded and diatribish at times. Interesting concept, however. Almost as interesting is reading Mankell's biography on Wikipedia. Talk about moving to the left.
My friend Per is seriously ill and in the hospital. Now he's getting seriously sick listening to me talk about The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande. I've tried to visit Per regularly at the hospital because I know it has to be a drag having doctors and nurses poking and prodding and ripping flesh while removing gauzes day in and day out. But every time I go, I think about this book. Gawande has been working on ways to improve hospital and surgical routines using checklists. His previous book included a section on reducing infections in hospitals by having everyone wash their hands constantly. You can bet I was watching everyone who came in to see Per. He's been at two hospitals. The first was in Marina Del Rey and they have an excellent procedure, putting on new gloves when they walk into a patient's room, then throwing them out as they leave and then using an antiseptic cleaner. The UCLA hospital has antiseptic cleaner dispensers outside every room with a big sign to use it to prevent infections. I think I like the Marina hospital's procedure best. I never saw them not comply with their practice. Maybe the UCLA folks cleanse their hands every time they walk into a room. Gawande says that even he misses sometimes.
My friend Per is seriously ill and in the hospital. Now he's getting seriously sick listening to me talk about The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande. I've tried to visit Per regularly at the hospital because I know it has to be a drag having doctors and nurses poking and prodding and ripping flesh while removing gauzes day in and day out. But every time I go, I think about this book. Gawande has been working on ways to improve hospital and surgical routines using checklists. His previous book included a section on reducing infections in hospitals by having everyone wash their hands constantly. You can bet I was watching everyone who came in to see Per. He's been at two hospitals. The first was in Marina Del Rey and they have an excellent procedure, putting on new gloves when they walk into a patient's room, then throwing them out as they leave and then using an antiseptic cleaner. The UCLA hospital has antiseptic cleaner dispensers outside every room with a big sign to use it to prevent infections. I think I like the Marina hospital's procedure best. I never saw them not comply with their practice. Maybe the UCLA folks cleanse their hands every time they walk into a room. Gawande says that even he misses sometimes. Then today a nurse came in to take vitals and ask about pain. This was a checklist! One of the most rudimentary checklists in a hospital is a nurse doing 4 things - blood pressure, temperature, heart rate and pain (from 1-10 rating). Some used to miss some of the 4 things and it was found that if all were done and recorded, patient recovery improved.
In other words, I liked the book.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks has helped be to be more knowledgeable about cell reproduction and uterine cancer and John Hopkins and big Pharma stealing our genes. What a good book. It actually helped me understand my cancer better. I did better than poor Henrietta Lacks. My cancer was found at the very beginning. Hers lasted through two pregnancies. More than that, the biopsy they took of her cells in the early 50's are still growing today and have helped in unbelievable research and medical discoveries. This is a fascinating slice of history.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks has helped be to be more knowledgeable about cell reproduction and uterine cancer and John Hopkins and big Pharma stealing our genes. What a good book. It actually helped me understand my cancer better. I did better than poor Henrietta Lacks. My cancer was found at the very beginning. Hers lasted through two pregnancies. More than that, the biopsy they took of her cells in the early 50's are still growing today and have helped in unbelievable research and medical discoveries. This is a fascinating slice of history. 
